Martin Lewis issued Black Friday warning to millions who could lose '100% of their money'

If a Black Friday bargain seems too good to be true, it may well be.

Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis is the guru to listen to when it comes to choosing whether to splash the cash or if your hard-earned pennies are better off elsewhere.

Is a bargain as good as it seems? It might have been offered for less earlier in the year.

Even if really is the deal of the century, it's worth taking a step back to decide if you really need that cheap-as-chips air fryer or a discounted dishwasher.

Do you really need another handbag or a new phone?

Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

Chances are your email inbox is bulging with emails offering life-changing discounts for Black Friday, a day which seems to be getting bigger each year.

Black Friday originated in the US, and takes place the day after Thanksgiving, so this year falls on November 29th.

While it was originally just one day, it has now stretched out to last weeks, and in some cases it's even been the whole month of shops and online stores offering dazzling discounts.

That's a lot of discounts to resist!

Martin warns that you might end up getting more than you bargained for if you're not careful with your spending, and who you choose to buy from.

The financial expert warned on ITV: "If you were going to buy it anyway and it is half price you have saved 50 percent."

However, if the lure of the emails is too much, you could end up spending more than you intended.

Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

"But if you weren't going to buy it but do because it's half price you have wasted 100 percent of your money," he warned.

It's easy to forget that a lot of effort goes into emails and social media to tempt you into spending, and the FOMO can be real scrolling through Instagram and TikTok and seeing people flashing their new purchases.

Buying things you don't really need, even if they seem like a steal, is a colossal waste of money according to Martin.

We're all savvier now when it comes to scams and fraudsters, but are we aware of our own temptations and maybe we're our own worst enemy when it comes to savings?

Maybe take a step back from that shopping basket and come back in an hour and see if you really want it, or if the shopping bug had just taken over.

Watching the money build up in your bank account instead could be a better buzz than a parcel you didn't really want arriving.